Each Praluent pen contains one dose of Praluent and should be disposed of after use in a sharps container.
Before you inject
To make injecting Praluent more comfortable, let the pen warm up to room temperature (up to 25 degrees Celcius) for 30 to 40 mins
Don’t heat the pen, let it
warm up on its own.
Use the pen as soon as
possible after it has warmed up.
A: Getting ready for an injection
B: How to inject
FAQs about how to take Praluent
- Your doctor will tell you how much Praluent you need. The Praluent pens are colour-coded depending on how much Praluent is in each pen.
- The dose is either 75 mg (the pen with the green button) or 150 mg (the pen with the grey button) every 2 weeks, depending on the dose prescribed by your doctor.
- Your doctor may also prescribe a 300 mg dose (once every 4 weeks) which is administered with two 150 mg injections, one after the other, at two different injection sites.
- Your doctor will request blood tests during your treatment to make sure that your ‘bad’ cholesterol is controlled.
- Is it less than 7 days since you were supposed to use Praluent?
Inject your missed dose as soon as possible. Then inject your next dose as originally scheduled. - Is it more than 7 days since you were supposed to use Praluent?
Don’t inject your missed dose or double your dose. If you inject every 2 weeks, don’t inject your missed dose or double your dose. Inject the next dose on the day it was originally scheduled. - If you inject every 4 weeks, start a new schedule from the time you inject your missed dose.
- redness, swelling, pain or bruising (haematoma) where the injection is given
- flu-like symptoms, such as sore throat, runny nose, sneezing
- muscle pain
- itching (pruritis)
- painless swelling under the skin (angioedema)
- an allergic reaction that causes inflammation to blood vessels (hypersensitivity vasculitis). Symptoms may include:
- diarrhoea, and/or
- skin irritation such as a rash or purple coloured spots on the skin (purpura)
- hives (urticaria)
- reddish skin spots sometimes with blisters (nummular eczema)
- shortness of breath
- wheezing or difficulty in breathing
- swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body
Praluent is injected under the skin (subcutaneous injection) of your stomach area (abdomen), thigh or upper arm.
Change the place that you inject each time so that you do not become sore in one area.
Do not inject in an area where the skin is tender, reddened, bruised or hard. This may mean there is an infection.
Do not inject into the skin if it is sunburnt or injured.
Do not inject Praluent with other injectable medicines, at the same injection site.
The recommended starting dose of Praluent is 75mg once every 2 weeks.
(Alternatively, your doctor may recommend 300mg once every 4 weeks)
For more information, please contact your healthcare professional or refer to the Instructions for Use leaflet included in your Praluent pen pack or the Consumer Medicine Information leaflet.
Remember: LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol often doesn’t cause any symptoms. It’s important to keep using Praluent (and any other cholesterol-lowering medicine), even if you feel well.
Praluent helps lower your LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol, but it does not cure your condition. So, you should keep taking Praluent for as long as your doctor recommends.
If you stop taking Praluent, your ‘bad' cholesterol levels may rise again. Always check with your doctor before stopping Praluent.
If you’re not sure what to do, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
If you’ve used more Praluent than you should, or your dose has been given sooner than your doctor recommended contact your doctor immediately, or contact the Poisons Information Centre (13 11 26), or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital.
You may need urgent medical attention even if there are no obvious signs of discomfort or poisoning.
Use PRALUENT exactly as your doctor or nurse tells you to use it. The best time is the time that works best with your personal schedule. It is recommended that you incorporate taking Praluent within your regular routine and be consistent.
For example, you can remove Praluent from the refrigerator and allow it to warm to room temperature as you take your shower/bath in the morning then administer once it has warmed to room temperature after 30 minutes.
Another example is to remove Praluent from the refrigerator when you are preparing breakfast or dinner. Once it has warmed to room temperature, you can administer before or after your meal.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken, or might take any other medicines, including medicines that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.
Some medicines may be affected by Praluent or may affect how well Praluent works. You may need different amounts of your medicine, or you may need to take different medicines. Your doctor will advise you.
Tell your doctor, pharmacist or nurse as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking Praluent.
All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical treatment if you get some of the side effects.
Do not be alarmed by this list of possible side effects. You may not experience any of them. Tell your doctor if you notice any of them and they worry you:
Tell your doctor as soon as possible if you notice any of the following:
If any of the following happen, tell your doctor immediately or go to the Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital:
Other side effects not listed above may occur in some patients. Tell your doctor if you notice anything making you feel unwell when you are using Praluent.
Looking for additional support?
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Get additional support
from patient
organisations and others
that also have high LDL
cholesterol levels.
If you have any further
questions regarding
Praluent, you can
contact Sanofi Medical
Information.
The content of this website is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor. If you have questions about your condition or treatment, please speak with your healthcare team.
